FOXBOROUGH -- Nate Solder is soft spoken. He doesn't talk much, and he chooses his words carefully when he does. But the 6-foot-8, 320-pound left tackle hopes that his presence alone can set an example.

"The way I kind of view leadership is just to do my job the best that I can," the 2011 first-round pick said Tuesday. "If that influences people, I hope it does. But that's kind of the role I see myself in."

Solder is unlikely to ever be the influence that 10th-year left guard Logan Mankins was along the New England Patriots' offensive line. Yet with the three-time team captain and six-time Pro Bowler leaving his side after more than three seasons, Solder understands that there will be a void.

He understands that there's nothing else to do but move on from the move that sent Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a fourth-round pick and tight end Tim Wright.

"It's all coming on pretty quickly, so really I just reflect," Solder said of Mankins' departure. "He's an awesome guy, great person, and he's going to continue to be those things. And I surely hope to have a great relationship with him as we go ahead and move forward in life."

As Solder stood before his stall, in wake of the transactions that brought the Patriots to 75 players, he did reflect. He paused to revisit the imprint his teammate left on him and the rest of the locker room.

"What an awesome player," Solder smiled. "So honored to play with that guy, so honored to get to know him and his family. I can't say enough good things about him. Him and his family have got great morals, great ethics, great work ethic."

The 26-year-old learned under the ethics of the 32-year-old Mankins since he arrived in New England in 2011. Mankins, who was also left tackle during his collegiate years at Fresno State, helped onetime Colorado tight end develop into a 44-game starter.

"He was just an extremely genuine, and he still is an extremely genuine person," Solder said. "And authentic -- he does what he says."

Solder is now doing what he can to set his attention elsewhere. The Patriots' preseason finale is this Thursday, and the regular season kicks off Sept. 7.

"You know, as the Patriots go, he's not here anymore. So, we worry about what we can worry about," he said.

There may be some worry as to how New England's line will reassemble. And its final product may still look far different than it did last Friday against the Carolina Panthers -- in what was Mankins' final game as a Patriot.

Several players filtered into the positions around Mankins over his 51 snaps on the Gillette Stadium turf. Many of whom were newcomers, but several of whom remain from season's past. And while they may not hold the weight No. 70 did, their familiarity and adaptability figure to keep the unit tied to the ground.

"We have a lot of guys with a lot of good experience," Solder said. "Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell and Sebastian Vollmer and a whole list of guys that really know what they're doing, so we can definitely get by."

Connolly is the longest-tenured Patriot remaining on the offensive line; Wendell and Vollmer are tied for second, and Solder is third. Yet at this time, regardless of tenure, they're all coming to terms with the same reality.

"For the Patriots, we move on," said Solder. "As sad as that is, it's exciting, too. We move on to the thrills of the season."